A skeptical left-liberal's blog, including skepticism about left-liberalism, but even more about other issues of politics. A skeptical look at Gnu Atheism, religion, social sciences, more. And me? I am who I am... more later...

January 12, 2012

#Wikileaks the "enemy"? Or Obama?

How else is one to interpret the U.S. Army saying Pfc. Bradley/Brenna (who may be transgendered, and whose lawyers may or may not be using Gender Identify Disorder as part of the defense, and who may or may not be having his/her gender identity used as an activist football outside the case) Manning charging the private, among 22 counts, with aiding the enemy?

The reality, of course, is that Wikileaks has never declared war on the United States. However, in another example of asymmetric warfare, the Obama Administration long ago launched an undeclared war on Wikileaks.

Were this 40 years ago, a la the Pentagon Papers, and in a civilian court, this case would be batted down in an eyelash. Today, it's different.

There is no such thing as jury nullification at a court martial. A definition of one's peers can be different in the military. And, many other factors are at play.

Nonetheless, given the Pentagon's own previous concessions on other documents, it's clear that no leaks aided the enemy. And, since Dear Leader, our constitutional law scholar president for the good retirement times afterward, is also C-in-C of the armed forces of the United States, this nonsense could come to an end any time he likes.

But it won't. Not even if his rightward triangulation gets him re-elected. The only thing I don't get about his "moves" in the last decade is, why didn't he leave the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church a lot sooner, and why didn't he do oppo research on that issue?